Air cooling apparatus



Nov. 23, 1948. D. KAUFMAN 7 2,454,654

AIR COOLING APFARATUS Filed Jan. 22, 1947 2.6 o o o o o -o o e o o o o oo 2 o o o H| M 0 o 0 22 o o o o o o o o o o o o f 1 o o o o 2g. [8 G 0 0l5 6 O 0 0 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o b0 0 o o I o o o o 56 i I 5e54 V V b0 5g I I6 Ir-64 g 80 g i w [e [O 5A,; is 15 Q I 248 M f ZWINVENTOIL FIG. 2

Patented: Nov. 23, .1948

U ITED STATES PATENT .o'Fmcs .ua COOLING maas'rus Daniel L. Kaufman.Dayton, Ohio, asslgnor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton. hlo,=a

corporation of Delaware Application January 22, 1947, Serial bio.723,589

3 Claims. ((01.82-140).

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularlyto an improved circular evaporator unit.

It is an object of this invention to Provide a low cost circularevaporator unit in which'the 5 scription, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present inventionis clearly shown.

In the drawings: v f Fig. 1 is a vertical, sectional view takensubstantially on line l-l of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 2 is a top view with parts broken away. In many air conditioningand refrigerating installations it is desirable to mount a. refrigerantevaporator adjacent the ceiling of the space to be cooled and to provideforced air circulation over the coils of the evaporator. One of theproblems involved in thus mounting the evaporator directly within theconditioned space is that of.preventing condensation on the evaporatorhousing. Many arrangements have been used with varying degrees ofsuccess for preventing the formation ofcondensate on the housing butthese have been complicated and expensive. The drawing shows aninexpensive construction which accomplishes the desired results in avery prac- 2 The evaporator II is arranged in a semicircle as indicatedin the drawing and is held in place by a plurality of removable U-shapedbolts 2| which are secured to the mounting brackets 28 which in turn areremovably secured to the mounting brackets III by means of screws 2i. As

indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the evaporator comprises a pluralityof semicircular pipes having fins 22 which facilitate the transfer ofheat from the air to the refrigerant flowing .through the pip Il throughthe liquid line 30 which is arranged in direct contact with the returnor suction line 32 throughout an appreciable distance as indicated inthe drawing. The lines 30 and 82 are arranged in circular formationadjacent the top plate I! and are held in place by the brackets Idicated in Fig. 2. The expansion valve 34 is prohousing member which maybe riveted or otherfan It is arranged to pull air upwardly into theunit. The bottom of the plate I! presents a curved surface which servesto direct the air radially outwardly through the evaporator ll.

vided with a conventional thermostat bulb 38 which helps to control theflowof refrigerant through the expansion valve :4. The bulb 36 isarranged adjacent the suction line 32 at the point whereit is connectedto the evaporator head 38. The refrigerant leaves the-expansion valve 34through the line 40 which leads to the evaporator header 2.

A stamped sheet metal circular bottom plate or housing member Bil hasbeen provided which has upturned inner and outer edges 52 and Mrespectively whereby a circular shaped channel is formed directlybeneath the evaporator II. A plurality of mounting brackets 58 carriedby the U-shaped bolts or mounting members 20 serve as supports for thehousing member 50. The housing ill is removably secured to the brackets56 by means of the bolts 58 which are preferably of a low heatconducting or insulating material. Insulating means it have beenprovided as shown in Fig. 1 for thermally insulating the housing fromthe evaporator l8. A circular condensate collecting pan 2 has beenprovided for collecting the condensate dripping from the evaporator it.This condensate pan is bolted to the inner upturned edge 52 of thebottom plate or housing member 50. Reference numeral ll designates thecondensate drain pipe.

g I A plurality of horizontally arrangedspacers Zfare provided betweenadjacent layers of pipe so as to hold the vertically disposed layers .ofpipe properly spaced. Liquid refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator.

A circular fan shroud is removably secured to the bottom plate 50 bymeans of screws 12. It will be noted that the fan shroud 10 serves todirect the relatively warm inrushlng air directly onto the evaporator llwithout the air flowing in thermal exchange relationship with theupturned inner edge portion 52 of the bottom plate 50. This arrangementhelps to prevent the condensation of moisture from the inrushing aironto the bottom plate 50. An air grill or fan guard 00 is-removablycarried by the fan shroud I0.

By virtue of the above described arrangement it is apparent that the fanl6 and/or the fan motor Il may be removed for repair or replacementpurposes without removing the bottom plate 50 and without removing theevaporator i8 from its mounting. It is also apparent that the bottomhousing and associated parts of the unit are thermally insulated fromthe relatively cold evaporator and that the relatively warm. incomingair does not flow in direct thermal exchange with any of the colderportions of the unit prior to its contact with the evaporator proper.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which,i'ollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a heat exchange unit, bracket means for suspendingly supportingsaid unit, a top plate secured to said bracket means, circular aircooling coils, means for suspending said coils from said bracket means,fan means for circulating air to be conditioned in thermal exchange withsaid cooling coils, a circular substantially U-shaped in cross-sectionbottom housing, insulating means for securing the upper edge portion ofone leg of said housing to said coil suspending means, a circular driptray disposed within said. housing, means for securing said drip tray tothe upper edge portion'ofone of the legs of said housing so as tosupportthe tray in spaced relationship to the other leg of said housingand to the bottom wall thereof, and a collar-like memiber surroundingsaid fan means and extending substantially throughout the height of theinner leg of said housing in spaced relation thereto for shielding thesame from incoming air circulated by said fan means.

2. In a heat exchange unit, bracket means for suspendingly supportingsaid unit, a top plate secured to said bracket means, circular aircooling coils, means for suspending said coils from said bracket means,a circular bottom housing having upturned inner and outer edges,insulating means for securing the upturned outer edge of said housing tosaid coil suspending means, a motor having a fan operatively connectedthereto for circulating air to be conditioned in thermal exchange withsaid cooling coils, said motor being detachably mounted on said topplate, ashroud surrounding said fan and being secured to the upturnedinner edge of said housing in spaced relation thereto for shielding thesame from incoming air circulated by said fan, grill means secured tosaid shroud, and said grill means being removable from said shroud topermit detachment of said motor from said top plate and removal of saidmotor and said fan downwardly of said unit through the opening of saidshroud.

3. In a heat exchange unit, bracket means for suspendingly supportingsaid unit, a top plate secured to said bracket means, circular aircooling coils, means for suspending said coils from said bracket means,a motor having a fan operatively connected thereto for circulating airto be conditioned in thermal exchange with said cooling coils, saidmotor being detachaibly mounted on said top plate, a circularsubstantially U-shaped in cross-section bottom housing, insulating meansfor securing the upper edge portion of the outer leg of said housing tosaid coil suspending means, a circular substantially V-shaped incross-section drip tray within said housing, means for securing an edgeportion of said drip tray to the upper edge portion of the inner leg ofsaid housing so as to support the tray in spaced relationship to theouter leg of said housing and to the bottom wall thereof, a collar-likemember surrounding said fan extending substantially throughout theREFERENCES crrnn The following references are of record in the A flle ofthis patent:

UNITED s'm'ras PATENTS Number Name Date 2,048,246 Dasher July 21, 19362,056,041 Erbach Sept. 29, 1936 2,082,441 Child June 1, 1937 2,266,187Fitzgerald Dec. 18, 1941

